Generally, robots are used in many different industries for many different applications. One industry, for example, is the medical industry that uses robots in applications including assisting the surgeon during surgical procedures. Robots are especially suited for some surgical tasks because they can be constructed to be very steady, computer controlled, and precise in their movements. Characteristics such as these can be especially helpful during surgery on sensitive areas, such as, for example, the vertebral column but are applicable throughout the body.
Typical vertebral column surgical procedures include vertebral fusion, insertion of medical devices such as pedicle screws, discography, percutaneous discectomy, or the like. These procedures typically require a large invasive operation that exposes the patient to a high risk of infection, excessive trauma, fluid loss, post operative pain, scarring, and a lengthy recovery time. Some difficulties relating to surgery on the vertebral column include micro-movement of the vertebral column during the operation, inherently small target objects of the procedure such as the pedicles, extremely delicate nearby nerve tissue, and limited operating room space because large equipment is needed to aid in the procedure, such as C-arm X-ray devices. Furthermore, the patient and operating room staff are exposed to large doses of radiation because these procedures require repeated X-raying and/or fluoroscoping of the surgical site so the surgeon can view the position of surgical tools or implants relative to non-visible body parts.
A need exists for a device that can assist minimally invasive surgery with low radiation exposure while allowing the surgeon to precisely align and control or monitor the surgical procedure. Some prior art devices have attempted to accomplish this however, these devices are either too complicated, not sufficiently accurate, or consume too much operating room space.
One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,226,548. This device combines a navigation system, a bone mounted apparatus, and surgical tools that communicate with the navigation system. This apparatus primarily consists of a clamp that attaches to the patient's spine and extends outward forming a reference arc bearing emitters or a tracking means. All the surgical tools used in this procedure are fitted with emitters or a tracking means similar to the reference arc. The surgical suite is fitted with a navigation system capable of recognizing the emitters or tracking means of the reference arc and surgical tools, a computer system for interpreting the location of the tools, and a video display for the surgeon. After surgically placing the clamp and reference arc on the patient a CT or MRI is taken creating a three-dimensional image of the patient with the attached device. When the patient is in place in the surgical suite with the attached reference arc the navigation system locates the arc and the surgical tools and displays them, relative to each other, on the three-dimensional CT scan.
While the device disclosed in the '548 patent offers some advantages in terms of accuracy and reduced trauma, the advantages of this type of prior art device are limited. The critical part of a surgical tool that must be monitored is the working end of the tool, whether that be a screwdriver or a drill bit or the like. These cannot be tracked with such prior art systems. Transmitters or emitters cannot be attached to the working ends of tools so the computer must estimate the location of the working end by locating the tool generally and extrapolating. This causes inaccuracy and errors that cannot be tolerated in spinal surgery or other high accuracy procedures where the smallest error can result in a serious and permanent outcome. Also, prior art devices such as these are hand held by the surgeon and thus, limited in accuracy to the surgeon's ability to hold and align the tool.
Furthermore, when using this system, the user must be cautious to not block the line-or-sight between the tool mounted emitters or receivers, the reference arc bearing emitters or receivers, and the navigation system. This can severely limit the ability of the surgeon or surgical team as the tool may actually limit their ability to aid the patient. Also, while such prior art systems do reduce the incision size, they complicate the surgical procedure. Usually a patient is brought into a surgical suite ready for a procedure, the procedure is performed, completed, and the patient leaves. However, the '548 patent system requires the patient to be put through a surgical procedure to affix the clamp and referencing arc, then the patient is transported to a CT or MRI, then transported back to the surgical suite in a non-sterile condition for the substantial portion of the procedure to commence. Finally, this system has many components, such as the navigation system and the computer output unit, that clutter up the already limited space in the surgical suite.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a device with high precision and accuracy that can assist the surgeon in aligning the working end of the surgical tool such that delicate procedures can be preformed percutaneously with minimal radiation exposure to both the patient and the surgical staff.